Local figure skaters gain edge

Club members perform well in Aspen competition

After the first competition of the season, coach Kim Haggarty is excited about the prospects for the Steamboat Springs Figure Skating Club.

Members of the club will shift into high gear Dec. 30, when the skaters host a one-hour exhibition at Howelsen Ice Arena designed to showcase their talent. The program also allows them to work on their free skating programs in front of a crowd, in anticipation of a competition in Pueblo in February.

"The show will feature all of our local talent and competitive skaters," Haggarty said. "Any time you can get out and perform in front of an audience, it's beneficial."

Twelve members of the team recently competed in Aspen, and Haggarty said the skaters have plenty of positive finishes to build on.

"We don't worry about the places," Haggarty said. "It's a judged sport. We just look at how our kids skated, and every one of them did a great job."

Ellie Bender led the way with a first-place finish in spins in the pre-juvenile division. She collected third-place finishes in the compulsory and free skate.

Haggarty said Ellie, along with Sara Pugh, skated in the more advanced and more difficult divisions. Sara placed second in the spins, third in the compulsory and third in the free skate.

Ellie wasn't the only Steamboat skater to grab the top prize in Aspen.

In the basic skills classes, Nicole was first in compulsory and second in free skate. Kayla was first in the free skate and second in compulsory. Jenna was first in spins for the pre-preliminary class. She also was second in the compulsory and fourth in the free skate.

Other top results included Callie Heil, who was fifth in compulsory and free skate in the basic skills class. Kira Lorenzen was third in compulsory and fourth in the free skate in the basic skills class.

In her first year in the pre-preliminary class, Patricia Davie was second in the free, second in spins and fifth in compulsory. Clare Franklin was second in spins, fourth in the free and sixth in compulsory, and Cassie Willhelm was fourth in spins and fifth in the compulsory and free skate in that same class.

Emily Eakins was fourth in the spins and free skate, and third in the compulsory in the preliminary class, and Hanna Haggarty collected a third in the free, fourth in spins and sixth in the compulsory in the preliminary group.

Coach Haggarty said the local skaters will continue to work on their free skates and are looking forward to the Dec. 30 exhibition.

In past years, the club has hosted a holiday skating show during winter break, but this year's event will be pushed back to March and will have a Las Vegas theme.